Philly organization holds Thanksgiving dinner for children and families

WEST PHILADELPHIA - Spreading love and kindness for the holidays with a Philly group serving up an early Thanksgiving meal to hundreds of kids and teens. The event was put on by Level Up Philly, complete with music, games and TikTok dances.

The smell of smoked turkey greeted young people outside the door of Level Up Philly Tuesday evening. The grill loaded, cooking 23 turkeys for an early Thanksgiving feast.

Inside, volunteers and staff like Malik Carter served platters for hundreds of young people waiting patiently in line. He said, "It’s just a beautiful thing. I’m just glad to be a part of it."

In addition to turkey, the menu had a little bit of everything and the theme was "Surf and Turf." The youth were also treated to crabs shipped from South Carolina. Level Up Founder Pastor Aaron Campbell said what they’re really serving is love. "The reality is a lot of kids will not eat this Thanksgiving, you know what I mean? And, this is their safe space."

Campbell says his place is home to about 600 to 700 kids they feed a day. Tuesday night’s menu is endless. "Salmon, lamb chops. We feed them like kings and queens," Pastor Campbell said.

Kids also participated in Roblox and Fortnite tournaments in the gaming room. 8-year-old William Swinson said, "I like coming here just for the food, the games, to meet my friends, play with my friends. It’s a lot of kind people here that you can make friends with."

The Level Up youth are known all over for their Insta-famous dance battles, which also took place throughout the evening while meals were being served. Latoya Jules has a 16-year-old son who attends and Tuesday she brought her daughter. "A lot of people don't have the funds or the ability to make anything like this happen and the children love it. [And the food is like] Top notch. It's like grandma in the kitchen."